Was he fleeing from Customs officers or was it a tragic mistake? Uncertainty surrounds reports of a solo sailor's death when he fell 40 ft from his mast shortly after his yacht, Windrose, was boarded by Customs officers and he climbed the mast. The incident occurred at St Mary's Harbour in the Scilly Isles on Monday at around 8.30pm.

Last Sunday, the Dutch-registered vessel set off its EPIRB after his rigging was damaged, nine miles off the coastline, and the Royal National Lifesaving Institution (RNLI) towed him into the harbour.

The sailor who died is believed to be a Dutch national in his sixties.

Customs officers had boarded the yacht two hours before the man fell from the vessel's mast. What occurred during the two hours the officers were on board the yacht is unknown, but is the subject of an investigation. The Border Force, which includes customs, would not say why they had boarded the sailing boat.

The solo sailor is believed to have sailed into United Kingdom waters from Lagos, Portugal in Windrose, a steel-hulled 11m yacht.